A Queens home is secretly operating as a high-end dog boutique, selling designer pups for up to $38,000 despite New York’s ban on pet-shop sales, The Post found in an undercover investigation.
New York’s “Puppy Mill Pipeline Act,” which took effect last December, prohibits the sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits in pet stores.
Yet at Tiny Cuties NYC in Astoria, customers can still snap up trendy imported mixes: a miniature “Pomchi” (Pomeranian-Chihuahua) for $7,800, a palm-sized “Maltipom” (Maltese-Pomeranian) for $8,800, or a teacup “Pomapoo” (Pomeranian-Poodle) for $9,800, according to the store’s flashy website.
Herbie, an 8-month-old Maltipom, is listed for a staggering $8,800. But the crown jewel is Miffy, a “micro teacup” white poodle expected to weigh just 2.2 pounds full-grown, going for an eye-popping $38,000, an undercover reporter posing as a buyer discovered.
The business operates out of a Queens living room, complete with a fish tank, a half-dozen Louis Vuitton and Hermès purses displayed on a shelf, and photos of owner Jenny Tsai in a pink gown posing with her tiny dogs.
The store came up among the top results in a simple Google search for “puppies for sale NYC.”
Tsai — who showcased Herbie to the reporter and even allowed some petting — said she keeps a “stable” of dogs in the back of her two-bedroom home, where their barking can be heard from the street.
“We have 35 puppies here,” she boasted amid the yipping and yapping. “And we have another 30 in Taiwan.”
Tsai told The Post there are 35 puppies in the Queens home, with another 30 kept in Taiwan.
“My family has a kennel in Taiwan,” she said, explaining that the dogs are shipped once they reach six months old.
“We’ve sold more than 600 dogs,” she added.
“The mom only has one puppy at a time,” Tsai continued. “If there are two, one won’t survive. They’re delivered by C-section, so each puppy is very valuable.”
“Size is the number-one factor,” she explained. The smaller the pup, the higher the price. “At that size, it’s basically a miracle that they’re alive,” she said.
